1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing plastic containers and, more particularly, to systems and methods for inspecting blow molded plastic containers which vary in quality from one of a myriad of parameters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Blow molding of plastic containers and other products is a well-known manufacturing process which typically commences with a heated thermoplastic preform disposed in a mold and caused to be filled with a pressurized fluid such as flow air to expand the preform to the shape of the interior of the associated mold. The pressure within the preform typically commences at approximately 70 psi and reaches approximately 550 psi during the blow cycle.
Even though the wall thickness of the container being formed is designed to be relatively constant at any location on the container from cavity to cavity, the wall thickness of the finished container often times will vary from the desired thickness which may render the completed container unsatisfactory for commercial use. Because such defects are often not discovered until receipt by the customer and the filling thereof with a product, it is an important objective of the present invention to identify any variance from the standard during the blow molding process of the formation of the container.
It is to be noted that the trend toward decreasing the wall thickness and the overall weight of the finished container tends to exacerbate the aforementioned problem.